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Think about Jesus’ example. He held on while wicked people were doing evil things to him. So do not get tired and stop trying. Hebrews 12:3 (NCV)
The writer to the Hebrews challenges us to press on in the face of ‘wicked people’ intent on doing evil things to us. The example he uses is the ultimate example of love, grace, patience, mercy and forgiveness, Jesus Christ. Jesus, the writer reminds us, endured attacks by evil people yet he held on to accomplish the task before him in spite of the adversity.
You mind may conjure up visions of these ‘wicked people’ who were a constant thorn in Jesus side throughout his ministry. You may see battles similar to Cowboys and Indians, or Cops and Robbers. Maybe you see some heavenly version of ‘Star Wars’ being played out with Jesus in the center of the battle and enemy warriors surrounding him.
Before you let your imagination run wild, think for a moment of whom the ‘wicked people’ were that the writer is referring to. Maybe you are thinking it was the Romans. After all, they were ruthless warriors whose army ruled the known world with an iron fist. But frankly, the Romans weren’t interested in Jesus. Caesar was perfectly fine letting the Jews have their religion and their prophets as long as they remained in political subjection to the Roman Government by paying taxes and behaving themselves. Jesus was just another religious zealot in a long line of kooks that walked the paths of Palestine.
The ‘wicked people’ probably weren’t women in Galilee and the surrounding area. Jesus’ treatment of women was remarkable compared to society of the day. When Jesus walked the paths of Galilee the top priorities were livestock, children and women, in that order. Jesus elevated women to a place of importance equal to men.
Robbers? Tax Collectors? The poor and destitute? Prostitutes? The wealthy? Were they the wicked people? Not likely. These were the very people that sought Jesus out for comfort and a word of hope and forgiveness. Nor were those who opposed the Roman Government. Even though Jesus never spoke in opposition to the Romans, he certainly spoke a message of freedom and hope. Many mistakenly thought he would become King of Israel.
So, again, just who were the people the writer of Hebrews is referring to? Who were these wicked people that were always a constant thorn in the side of Jesus? Sadly, those who opposed Jesus the most were the religious people of the day. The ones with the status and respect of the people.
As you struggle through the path of life you are on, remember this. Jesus endured the same scoffing you have endured. He saw firsthand how people who ‘failed’ were treated. They are the ones he reached out to.
It doesn’t matter what struggle you are enduring right now, Jesus understands. Don’t give up on yourself. Don’t allow those who are intent on reminding you of your failures and weaknesses to pull you down. Jesus knows all about your struggle. He didn’t come to condemn you. He came to encourage, to offer hope and forgiveness. To extend the grace of God to you.
PRAYER: Lord Jesus, I thank you today for the fact that you understand my struggles and love me even though I fail. Empower me with your spirit to stop listening to those who want to pull me down. Help me rise above the attacks so I can live in the freedom a relationship with you offers. Amen.
In Christ we were chosen to be God’s people, because from the very beginning God had decided this in keeping with his plan. And he is the One who makes everything agree with what he decides and wants. Ephesians 1:11 (NCV)
I don’t know if this is a true story or not, but a great sculptor was allegedly asked how he went about taking a block of granite and transforming it into a statue. His response went like this: “Well, imagine I wanted to make a statue of a horse. I simply look at the block of granite and chip away everything that doesn’t look like a horse!”
For people like me that are artistically challenged in the area of sculpture, that explanation is completely worthless. My ability to make anything from clay or granite would have to have a plaque underneath it with the inscription “I don’t know either. It didn’t turn out the way I’d like.”
That’s not true with your Heavenly Father. Unlike you or me, he had a plan at the beginning of time. His plan was for you to have a relationship with him. It’s as though, in all his power and majesty, he looked a piece of clay and said, “I’m going to create my perfect lover, my perfect object of my affection. I’m going to make something for me that is exactly as I want it. Something I can love more than any of my other creations”
Once he finished molding and forming, your image appeared! You may think that sounds ridiculous. “Just look at me,” you say, “look at my scars. Look at the mistakes I’ve made. Look at the mess I’ve made of my life. Look at all the people I’ve hurt. How can you say that God created me to be some perfect love of his?”
Your question is understandable. We all have ugly scars from our past; we have all endured the consequences of stupid decisions that hurt ourselves and others. But the explanation is really rather simple, from God’s perspective anyway. When he looks at you, he looks beyond the scars and mistakes, he looks beyond the rebellion and anger, he looks beyond the frustration and worry.
God planned you from the beginning. He knew every obstacle you would have to endure. He knew your failures. He knew all about your rebellion. He knew all about the abuse and pain you’d have to suffer. That’s why he sent Jesus.
When I set my camera to manual focus I can make objects seem blurry or clear, perfect or imperfect; acceptable or unacceptable. Jesus is like God’s auto-focus. When you come to Christ and ask forgiveness for all the flaws in your life (the sin, the anger, the hate, the hurts) he looks at me through Jesus and sees the perfection of his plan.
You are planned by your Heavenly Father and his plans always work out just the way he wants them to. That’s what grace is all about. Grace is all about a relationship with the Father, through Jesus Christ, who sets us free from the penalty of sin.
PRAYER: Lord God, I thank you for your ability to carry out your plan for me exactly aw you intended. Thank you for Jesus and for the fact that because of him, I’m exactly what you want. Amen.
We are surrounded by a great cloud of people whose lives tell us what faith means. So let us run the race that is before us and never give up. We should remove from our lives anything that would get in the way and the sin that so easily holds us back. Hebrews 12:1 (NCV)
I’ll admit it. I’m not a runner. Not that I have anything gainst people that run. I have several friends that are runners and they seem nice enough. Actually I rather admire their commitment to the sport. I have one friend in particular that lives about ten miles outside of town. One night I saw him running on the local High School running track. An hour later he was still running. As I headed home I saw him running along the highway. It was then I realized he’d run into town to run on the track and then ran home.
He talked to me one time and said he was really hurting. He’d run two marathons in one weekend. “I won’t do that again.” I thought: “Neither would I because I’d be dead after the first one!”
I prefer walking myself. When you walk you can take your time. People who walk smile and say hi to people they meet. Runners grimace and rarely great you as they glide past you. So, even though I know there are many valid points to running, I still prefer to walk.
Having said all that, the Apostle Paul likens the Christian walk to more of a run. The writer to the Hebrews implores us to run the race and never give up. The word ‘run’ in Greek is the word ‘agon’. It’s the same word we get the word agony from.
Living for Christ was never meant to be easy. Although I’m not a runner (did I mention that already?) I know that to be a runner you need to start slow, working up your distance, speed and endurance. I know that you need to pay attention to the signals your body is sending you; pay attention to your limitations; know what you can do and what you can’t do to your body; learn to pace yourself and not take on more than you can handle; learn to push through the tough stuff. In short, running is hard work, but the benefits far outweigh the pain.
One more thing I know about running (actually walking too) is that it’s far easier to quit running habits than it is to establish running habits. Habits take a long time to develop, but they are well worth it. That’s true in our physical lives, but it’s also true in our spiritual lives.
Too often we don’t establish good habits in our lives because we give up too soon. We don’t have the commitment to push on. We can accomplish most anything in our lives (exercise, Spiritual disciplines, eating habits, etc.) if are truly committed to it.
If you truly believe your Spiritual life is important to you and that you want to grow closer to God, then you need to make it a priority. Work hard at it. Never give up. Know your limitations and what keeps you from meeting with God and avoid those pitfalls. Runners in a marathon come to a place they call ‘hitting a wall’. It’s that point where the body tells you that you can’t go on. It’s lying to you. You CAN go on. You just need to push through it.
The same goes for our spiritual lives. You may be hitting a wall right now in your walk with God. You may hear the voices telling you that you can’t do this anymore, that walking with God isn’t worth it. Don’t listen. Push on! Finish the race and finish strong! It’s well worth the agony.
PRAYER: Lord Jesus, you showed in your life how important it is to keep focused on a goal. I struggle daily to meet the demands of my life. I give up too easily and then fight the guilt I have for quitting. Empower me with your Spirit to push on when the going gets tough. Amen.
In everything we have won more than a victory because of Christ who loves us. Romans 8:37 (CEV)
I’ve learned a lot of important lessons in life. Far too many to put in this short post. But here are some that come to mind.
- I learned early in life that there is safety in my father’s arms. Growing up I was afraid of storms. I was afraid of water and, when we took rides in my grandfather’s boat was certain we would die. But when daddy was there, my fear was gone.
- I learned to walk, and then run. The freedom of independence was exhilarating to say the least! But in the midst of that freedom, I learned that falling was sometimes inevitable, but that even though the fall hurt a bit, I could get up and try again.
- I learned that scary things often aren’t really that scary after all and that if I put my mind to it, I could overcome my fears. I still watch the clouds. I still am cautious around water. But I know that I can handle many things if I just take the time to evaluate the situation.
- I learned that I can take care of myself. First it was simple things like pulling up my pants all by myself, then it was learning to tie my shoes, then all too soon I learned I could take care of my family and my kids.
- I learned, the hard way, that things aren’t always as they appear. Friends don’t always keep their promises. God isn’t always easy to understand. Just ‘living on love’ doesn’t really work. Being a superstar is hard work.
- I learned that I can be me without your approval. You may not like my taste in clothes. You may not like my taste in music. You may question my actions from time to time. But even though I’ll make mistakes and errors in judgment, your opinion of me doesn’t affect who I am. Frankly, I refuse to let you take the right of ‘me’ away; you won’t spoil my day.
- But maybe the most important thing I’ve learned is this: “God works more powerfully through me when I am at my weakest.”
I’ve gone through divorce. I’ve gone through rejection. I’ve made some really stupid mistakes in my life. I found out that I couldn’t live the life I wanted to live in my own power. I have stopped living the lie. It’s not about me after all. It’s all about Jesus.
So now, I believe what Jesus says about me. If he says I’m forgiven, I AM. If he says he’ll be with me through the rough stuff; HE WILL; If he says my needs (not my wants) will be taken care of; THEY WILL. If he says he loves me; HE DOES.
It’s so easy to listen to what others say about you. It’s easy to believe you have to pull yourself up by the bootstraps and make life go by yourself. But those are lies and are simply not true. Jesus says it’s by his strength, not ours, and it is. Going according to his strength is the key to success.
PRAYER: Lord Jesus. I’ve learned many things in my life, but the best thing I’ve learned is that your love and promises are true. Thank you for making me, me! Amen.
When everything is ready, I will come and get you, so that you will always be with me where I am. John 14:3 (NLT)
Imagine the setting. You’re sitting on your deck enjoying the last remnants of light from a warm summer evening. As you look to the west, lost in your thoughts, you see clouds on the horizon. It’s the makings of a beautiful sunset as the sun sinks prematurely below the billowing thunderheads.
Then you see it…you think. “Was that lightning?” You ask yourself as you continue to watch the horizon. A few moments later your suspicions are confirmed. A second flash of light brightens the darkening horizon. As you watch the approaching storm the signs of its inevitable arrival multiply. The once calm wind begins to blow, occasional rumbles of thunder are heard, the lightning flashes grow more frequent. A storm is coming.
The word picture can conjure up all sorts of emotions. If you are relatively assured of your safety and the safety of your loved ones you may look forward to the oncoming storm. There is nothing as awesome as a good ole’ fashioned summer thunderstorm.
On the other hand, you may feel some concern. Thunderstorms can bring hail to destroy crops. Heavy rain can wash out roads. Wind can cause massive destruction and even death. Your emotions about the coming storm depend on your feeling of personal safety and/or trust in the outcome of the storm.
When Jesus left the disciples he prepared them for his departure by promising his return. He didn’t tell them when he’d return, but he told them how and what to look for. He told them about the gathering storm clouds on the horizon; about the deterioration of the family as God ordained it; about economic upheaval; of political unrest.
He warned us of false prophets and teachings that would claim a new way, a better way than the way of the Good News of Jesus Christ. ‘Just as you know the signs of the seasons,” he would say to his disciples, “watch the signs of the times.”
We don’t know when Jesus will come back for us. Forget those who have all the numbers and the codes figured out. Forget the stories about asteroids and alien spaceships. Put away the white toga and take the ladder away from the roof. You don’t need to wait for a specific time or place. In fact, at a time we least expect his arrival he will come for those who have accepted his grace and forgiveness. How? Like the lightning. Just a flash and I’ll be gone.
If I’m talking to you at a coffee shop and suddenly disappear, it’s nothing personal. I’ve been called. If you see my car idling by the side of the freeway with no sign of me? I’m in a better place with NO traffic jams.
I see the storm clouds on the horizon. I know the signs. A storm will be here soon. I’m just waiting for the lightning!
PRAYER: Jesus, in spite of how many struggles we have here, I’m feeling truly blessed with my life in you. Still, I can’t wait until I get to see you face to face. Thank you for the promise that someday, maybe today, you will come back for me. Amen.
(thanks to pictureapromise for the great photo! http://www.facebook.com/pages/Pictureapromise/264103118342?sk=wall#!/pages/Pictureapromise/264103118342 )
Mike Fisk & Built with Grace 